All around the world avec Shero

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Shero

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A dear departed friend whose name I will not mention out of respect said: “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life and travel, leaves marks on you.”

For me, travel is my life. Luckily I have a soul mate who shares my passion. We laugh together, we share same values, we trust each other implicitement.
Sounds perfect hah? Non, we also fight and but make up most enthusiastically!

I thought it might be interesting to post some music, and traditions from places I have visited. Nothing in great detail only a petit coup d'œil. So I will start with my land of birth: Hawaii.
 

Native Hawaiians came to the Hawaiian Islands, where they lived for many centuries, carrying on the cultural traditions they brought with them. Many Native Hawaiian customs have been protected and are still practiced today and include the honi ihu, or the touching of noses : the Hula a complex artform performed for religious purposes, unlike a lot of hula performed today, hula wasn’t meant to be a spectacle, and was often performed privately: then there is the lei made out of flowers, bird feathers, shells, seeds, hair or ivory, the lei (garland or wreath) has become a symbol of Hawaii that most people know.


I love Hawaiian food of course, here is a link to some of the delectable dishes from Kauai. Two of my favourites are Huli Huli chicken and Malasadas.

https://www.aliikairesort.com/12-great-local-kauai-dishes/


me ke aloha mai hawaii
 
Only been to Hawaii once for about a week or so maybe 6-7 years ago. Loved it of course :love:
Kauai was my fav. Island. Getting up close & personal with the Napoli coast in a small boat is as close to a religious experience one can have without going to church 🤩 I don't think I have ever been to a place where simply everything was different from anything I had ever seen. Trees, plants; everything was just so different in small ways. The food I never really had a chance to have any what I would call authentic dishes. Mostly stuff prepared for the tourist trade.
 

I enjoyed a childhood of dreams on Kauai. My ancestors came from Lyon and it is where I had most of my schooling at a French Catholic school. Very strict but kind.

A little bit of history of Lyon. Lyon is a very old city and it is believed been occupied for the last 40,000 years. Stay a while and let this charming Englishman take you on a tour of the old city and the new city of Lyon.


Above all, Lyon is famous for its gastronomy: it has been named “The Gastronomic Capital of the World” since 1935! The city has 22 Michelin star restaurants, including the famous Paul Bocuse restaurant (which I love) as well as many traditional eating houses called “Bouchons Lyonnais”.

Lyon cuisine owes much to the women known as the Mères Lyonnaises. Originally cooks for influential bourgeois families, these talented females, set up in business in their own right in the early 20th century. They provided an opportunity for everyone to discover simple, cooking.

A little about the very important and poplar Bouchons here:


I cannot speak about cooking in Lyon without mention of Paul Bocuse, one of Lyon’s treasures. Mr Bocuse’s philosophy for food is to keep it “simple, sophisticated, subtle and adventurous.”

Known as the father of nouvelle cuisine, Paul Bocuse was a pioneer who popularised a new cooking philosophy during the 1970s. It was a modern approach to French cooking, where dishes were lighter, simpler and more delicate. Dining at the Bocuse restaurant, l'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, is a great experience and has been serving a traditional menu for decades. Have a look:


Avec amour de Lyon ❤️❤️
 
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Shero said:
A dear departed friend whose name I will not mention out of respect said: “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world, you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life and travel, leaves marks on you.”

For me, travel is my life. Luckily I have a soul mate who shares my passion. We laugh together, we share same values, we trust each other implicitement.
Sounds perfect hah? Non, we also fight and but make up most enthusiastically!

I thought it might be interesting to post some music, and traditions from places I have visited. Nothing in great detail only a petit coup d'œil. So I will start with my land of birth: Hawaii.
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This has the makings of a really fun thread. i agree about travel, tho haven't been able to do as much of it as you have. You can get similar benefits by living in metro areas and University towns (even if relatively small) that tend to have large international influxes of students in case of the latter and business people or tourists in case of latter. That is if you open and welcoming, helpful.
i've said before the only thing i miss about living in those kinds of places is the opportunities they provide for getting POV's from people around the globe. Internet came along at just the right time for me. Not quite as much fun in terms of being able to try the food, shop in the markets--but still interesting and culturally can be 'broadening'.

i lived on Oahu for a while in the 70s. Revisited when son, who'd been stationed at Pearl Harbor for most of his 20 yrs in Navy retired. He loves it and feels so at home there he stayed, lives in Waipahu.
 
About the culture and dance of Hawaii one of my favorite things about Honolulu was not just Hawaiian food but the access to good (not necessarily upscale but food and service excellent) restaurants representing various cuisine's cultures. Years before i knew he existed, i followed Bourdain's advice about finding out where the local people eat. Just made sense to me. While it's not quite as good as homemade, i can't find the 'quick' mix for haupia here (i could in Wyoming) so my son sends me some packages of it now then---cause i get to craving it.

The dancers, i was fortunate enough to meet Nona Beamer in the 70's. A roommate of mine had been a Hula Dancer for awhile (Hawaii born, hapa Hawaiian/Japanese mix) and i was so impressed when she told me Beamer taught her students all the meanings behind everything they did as well how to make costumes and accessories properly. Have long felt that we each should know about our own cultures and then share what we can, enjoy learning about others.
 
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The last time I was in Honolulu was during a big hula competition. Our hotel was right across from the park where they were having some of the contests so I could sit out on the balcony and watch.

I had no idea how popular hula was in Japan. There were several groups from Japan, mostly little elderly ladies. They could still strut their stuff, though.

The cutest, though, were the tiny little girls. Oh, and I certainly did enjoy the buff young men doing their impressive dances.
 
So do I RadishRose! The bouchons are the heart of Lyon!

🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷

I agree the restaurants are great, but the best food feywon, is cooked in the kitchens of the grandmothers of Hawaii. Haupia is not difficult to make, only four ingredients: here is a simple recipe: https://keepingitrelle.com/easy-haupia-recipe/

🌷🌷🌷🌷

Oh, I agree jujube, the little girls are the cutest when dancing the hula. I learnt when I was tiny and although I can’t do the hip movements much these days, I have never forgotten the grace of the arm and hand movements.

🌷🌷🌷🌷


NEXT STOP: MOROCCO

 
We spent a couple of vacations in the early 80s, for two or three weeks each in Hawaii. We visited the Big Island, Kauai, Maui, Oahu and Molokai. We rented a car and got away from tourist areas and crowds, explored places and beaches on our own. Also took small plane to get to other islands. Don't remember many details, but we had a wonderful time there, the people were very friendly, did some snorkeling,etc. The food I remember most was the pig plate they served at a tiny restaurant (and at a luau), and the Hana rotisserie chicken we took out and ate in the car. We gave some bits to the stray cats that were hanging around outside. Romantic place to vacation. We bought a boogeyboard and gave it to a young Hawaiian boy there with the approval of his mother when we were ready to leave. Gently used, I used it to go way out and bob over the huge waves before they started to break.
 
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🌷🌷
Exploring on your own as you did, is the best way SeaBreeze. That is what we like to do also. No real time limits and the freedom to linger when something catches our interest.

Glad you had a special time there and enjoyed the food, although I wish you had not mentioned Hana chicken, my tastebuds are doing a dance right now :love:
 
@Shero said:
I agree the restaurants are great, but the best food feywon, is cooked in the kitchens of the grandmothers of Hawaii. Haupia is not difficult to make, only four ingredients: here is a simple recipe: https://keepingitrelle.com/easy-haupia-recipe/

Firstly thank you for the recipe.
Secondly: One winter in the early 70's when i worked renting Bicycles on the corner Kalakaua and Kapahulu Avenues (a T intersection for those unfamiliar--Beach across Kalakaua Ave and the Zoo across Kapahulu) winter so bad all around the Northern Hemisphere that every tourist that had booked a stay actually showed up. Since large hotels routinely overbook, because a certain percentage of them usually cancel or are just no-shows, This meant dozens and dozens of people with no hotel rooms--the people of Oahu opened their doors to these folks. Not only did they get to experience Hawaii a whole other way than most tourists, some of them got treated to a truly authentic ohana (family) organized luau, some were told having them as guests gave the family an excuse to throw one!
 
jujube said:
I had no idea how popular hula was in Japan. There were several groups from Japan, mostly little elderly ladies. They could still strut their stuff, though.
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As i understand it, Gospel music is another thing many are surprised is popular in Japan and Korea with Choirs formed just to enjoy singing those songs.
 


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